Petracca withput a doubt.

Saints looking to trade down to get McCartin..if the dees go to the draft it'll be Petraca and Brayshaw. Unless another team, say GWS, get pick 1

If GWS get pick 1 then they very well may draft Wright or McCartin, given that Patton is out for the year and Boyd is threatening to leave (even if it turns out to be next year)!

If the Saints take McCartin/Wright/anyone but Petracca and Brayshaw: Petracca and Brayshaw.

If the Saints take Petracca: Brayshaw/Lever

If the Saints take Brayshaw: Petracca/Lever

Pretty simple. Lever was rated at #1 before his injury kept him out all year. Stringer mk2 in terms of skill and could head up our backline for the next decade.

Two of Petracca, Brayshaw, McCartin, Lever makes me a happy camper.

If we still have pick 23 and if he has not been picked up, Nakia Cockatoo.

Will be a gun

If GWS get pick 1 then they very well may draft Wright or McCartin, given that Patton is out for the year and Boyd is threatening to leave (even if it turns out to be next year)!

Why would they trade down for a big guy when one of them will still be there at 4? If they trade down to 1 it will be to take Petracca, no doubt about it.

Saints looking to trade down to get McCartin..if the dees go to the draft it'll be Petraca and Brayshaw. Unless another team, say GWS, get pick 1

well this makes zero sense

why are they trading down if they arent taking mccartin at pick 1?

are they taking Wright?

omg, does this need another thread?… really? Flogging a dead horse

Why would they trade down for a big guy when one of them will still be there at 4? If they trade down to 1 it will be to take Petracca, no doubt about it.

Don't necessarily agree! They have a better midfield than many Clubs but suddenly they have two out of three of their gun forwards in doubt. Whatever way you look at it, they will be minus one and possibly two KPFs short in 2015.

Edited October 14, 201411 yr by CBDees

Ideally Petracca then Brayshaw for two and three. Keen to get a complete midfield operating

I'd still be keen on getting involved in the mid and late first round, even at cost of one of those two top picks. But that's another thread.

Don't necessarily agree! They have a better midfield than many Clubs but suddenly they have two out of three of their gun forwards in doubt. Whatever way you look at it, they will be minus one and possibly two KPFs short in 2015.

Yeah but they can just take a big guy at 4. If Saints take Petracca at 1 we'll only take 1 big guy - if Saints go with a KPP at 1 we'll take the two mids. So either Wright or McCartin will still be there for them at 4, no need to trade down to 1 - unless they want Petracca.

I think Bulldogs will end up with pick 4 for Griffen and simply won't budge on that. GWS will run out of time to offer them players and a lower pick if they're also trying to package up a deal to get pick 1 off the Saints.

Frankly if you were getting Griffen why would you bother going after Petracca anyway, unless you were losing a Shiel/Treloar type, and that doesn't appear to be happening.

Saints would accept picks 4 and 7 for pick 1 in a heartbeat, but GWS can't offer that anymore. Boyd staying put was actually good for us, because otherwise GWS would've ended up capable of packaging those picks to get Petracca off the Saints, because the shoe would've been on the other foot for the Bulldogs, coughing up picks to GWS rather than the other way around).

It also means they're highly likely to get either Wright or McCartin, so they've no need to deal with us anymore.

Edited October 14, 201411 yr by Lamashtu

I can.

If the deal isn't there, it isn't there.

We have to get everything right for 5 years. Last year, we did that. This year is teetering on a knife edge, one thing that can not happen id either overpaying for one star or buying high on whoever is available just because we can get them.

If Petracca, McCartin, and/or Brayshaw are our lot then they are our lot.

I agree, mate, but I've no doubt we had a contingency plan(s), so I don't think it'll be a case of merely just taking whatever we can get our hands on. We won't throw the picks away on middle of the road players. They'll be for established stars that we've been vetting or soon to be stars.

I'm completely crestfallen with the idea of loading up on more draft picks. What a farce after all the talk of Roos using picks to trade for established players that can improve us now. We are and will continue to be a feeder club for the top 4 until we fold or merge.

trade P-3 & watts to the GCSuns for their 2 picks + a player

trade the Two First Rnd picks to the Swans for Kennedy.

After looking at some of Lever's highlights I wouldn't be upset if we picked him up. Could be the pick of this draft.

trade P-3 & watts to the GCSuns for their 2 picks + a player

trade the Two First Rnd picks to the Swans for Kennedy.

Unfortunately I think it's far too late to trade players now. Those are the kinds of deals you have to establish in week one so both teams, the player, the player's family, the player's manager, etc. can all mull over their options and agree or disagree to the proposed trade. In our case, we even got PR involved to get fans used to the idea of losing a club favourite with a media release on Friday night. We'd likely do the same if it were Watts or Howe, two fan favourites, next in line for trades.

The only player with currency we were seemingly planning to trade was Trenners, and... well, what more needs to be said about that?

Josh Mahoney on trade radio gave a pretty good indication that they were going to go with a tall and a mid at 2 & 3 - Assuming Petracca goes to the Saints of course.

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2014-10-16/demons-happy-to-take-top-picks-to-draft

also mentioned that they are still looking to 'nail' that ruck forward/forward position and talked about the top end talent at the top end of the draft

Could be looking at Peter Wright over McCartin? Brayshaw would have to be given for the mid role?

Not sure what to make of Saints keeping pick 1. Riewoldt is "expected" to retire next year according to the HS, so this is their last chance to get a key forward in to train under him.

They either rate Petracca so highly they aren't prepared to give him up, or they were keen on McCartin and had a hunch we'd take them with pick 2 or 3.

Will be interesting if they do take McCartin and we have to choose out of Petracca/Wright/Brayshaw/Lever.

I am a little worried that Saints may decide they need a pure midfielder (given they have a forward/mid in Billings) and pull off a shock for Brayshaw.

But the Saints need players everywhere, so I'm sure they'll go whoever they rate the best prospect.

Obviously we will take whoever is left out of Petracca or Brayshaw with pick 2 but the real intrigue now is who to go with pick No.3 and it seems a wide open race.

We drafted a key defender in Frost, so we may not be thinking Lever.

Two-metre Peter's U18 coach wasn't exactly effusive about him, although athletically and talent-wise he has huge potential - but worried he may not have innate hardness - ala Jack Watts.

McCartin's highlights aren't great and his end of season form when he came back from injury wasn't exactly earth-shattering, so I'd like to hear from others who have seen him in full flight.

Is there a Bontempelli type currently rated between 5-15 that we should be upgrading (The Bon was tipped to go 8-15 at this stage last year before a late flurry) - Laverde, Weller, Duggan?

Can't see us going Pickett after we have already gone Garlett and Stretch.

Can someone who has actually seen those kids play more than once please comment on their abilities?

If Lever can fit in to the 'tall midfielder' role then I'd say Roos would take him, and that very much fits in to the Bontempelli type. Roos often states how reluctant he is to draft talls, so if I had to put $5 on it, I'd say Brayshaw & Lever.

Laverde could be the surprise at 3.

We'll know in about 45 days I guess!

Why can't there be a Jesse Hogan in the draft every year.

Josh Mahoney on trade radio gave a pretty good indication that they were going to go with a tall and a mid at 2 & 3 - Assuming Petracca goes to the Saints of course.

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2014-10-16/demons-happy-to-take-top-picks-to-draft

also mentioned that they are still looking to 'nail' that ruck forward/forward position and talked about the top end talent at the top end of the draft

Could be looking at Peter Wright over McCartin? Brayshaw would have to be given for the mid role?

With first round picks, as cliched as it sounds, you'd hope it would be a case of best available.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how the Roos/Stone team can develop elite young talent. I actually don't think it matters who we take, it's what takes place after draft day which is important